This invention pertains to a light, compact four-wheeled vehicle that can transport a seated or kneeling person, comprising a board, a steering and braking system and a safety system that automatically brakes the wheeled board.
The existing vehicles associated with this market have a steering system operated by the displacement of the user""s mass or by handlebars, a cord or a steering bar which is directly operated by the hands or feet. As an example, known in the state of the art is WO 93/08884 which describes a recreational vehicle which is a wheeled platform fitted with wheels operated by handlebars.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,460 describes a wheeled board equipped with carrying straps. DE 8519231.7 describes a steering system for wheeled vehicles. U.S. Pat. No. 5,130,693 describes a wheeled vehicle equipped with an acoustic device. U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,716 describes a wheeled platform equipped with a control handle. WO 89/02301 describes a wheeled vehicle presenting a wing-shaped platform. These vehicles are not completely satisfactory because of their reduced handling ability.
Also known is U.S. Pat. No. 5,667,229 pertaining to a sled with a steering and braking system operated by a handle that is movable in two perpendicular directions.
The braking systems are often nonexistent and there is no safety system to stop the vehicle if the user should lose control. There is no directly associated system to facilitate transport of the vehicle. These vehicles are often unstable and do not allow a very responsive control of their movements.
Although very responsive joystick type control handles are employed in virtual games, they are not used in the vehicles employed in real games.
A vehicle including a platform, a braking and steering system fitted onto the platform including a handle movable along two substantially perpendicular axes to control steering by moving the handle with respect to a first of the axes and to control braking by moving the handle with respect to a second of the axes, and two guiding wheels mounted on independent pivoting axles connected by a steering rod, the steering rod being connected to an intermediary connecting rod connected to the control handle.